DI Tom Ridpath is back in this second thriller but don’t worry if you’ve not read the first as this book stands alone very well.  Still in remission from his myeloma but not very careful about looking after himself, Tom is still ‘not quite accepted’ back in his former full-time DI role on the Major Investigation Team (MIT) and remains seconded to the coroner’s office, but this gives an opportunity for the author to explore the role of the coroner and it’s really interesting to see how this crosses over with police work.

Still trying to work out troubles within his family, Tom is driving to meet them one day when a man wearing only boxer shorts runs out ahead of him on a motorway.  While he just manages to avoid hitting him, the terrified-looking man runs on, only to be hit by another vehicle.  Tom is convinced he saw a man with a gun by the side of the road, chasing after the fleeing man, but no-one else saw a gunman, it was not picked up on CCTV, and Tom – already unpopular for stopping the traffic on football night and causing a tailback – is not readily believed by the MIT.  Once again sidelined, and not convinced that this death is the beginning of a new gang war as all his colleagues suspect, we follow Tom’s efforts to find out the truth behind what he knows he saw, not quite believing in the favoured story of gang warfare.

An excellent thriller with good characters and suspense.  A little gory in places, and, like the previous book, perhaps a little more than I personally feel necessary, but if you can grit your teeth through that you will thoroughly enjoy this suspenseful thriller.

I liked this book a lot. It is a very satisfying police thriller with lots of action and a likeable main character in Ridpath. The plot unfolds at a good pace and is complicated wnough to be interesting but not so convoluted that you get lost. Recommended.

Quite complex to begin with, a lot of characters, but, unravelled really well with an unexpected outcome.

I had not read the first book in this series but it did not make any difference.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book, although it is a light read.  It was a little stereotypical in places with the depiction of old fashioned coppers vs new breed of women officers but this did not detract from the enjoyment of the book.  I enjoyed learning about Ridley, a well developed character .  I felt the story was well crafted with enough twists and turns to hold interest throughout.  I shall probably look to read the first book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for a honest unbiased review.
Going to keep it short.
Absolutely love this category of books and having read the first one, was looking forward to this one.
It didn't disappoint. 
Great read and here's to the next one from M J Lee.

The second DI Michael Ridpath book, and it's as good as the first.Ridpath is still seconded to the Coroner's Office but on his way home from a training course he becomes involved in an incident that he won't accept is an accident. He sees links where others overlook them and doggedly pursues the case. Add into the mix new boss Claire Trent and matters are complicated as we learn of their previous involvement. It doesn't help that she clashes with DCI Charlie Whitworth, who is still staring over his role in the Beast From Manchester case. Plenty of excitement, detective work and all in all a really good read. I'm already looking forward to the next one and hoping that Michael is well health wise. I'm hurting for the decision he has to make with his selfish wife, Polly. #netgalley #wherethedeadfall

I hadn’t read the first in this series but that wasn’t a problem. The back story was skilfully woven in. The story starts with a bang and moves along at a cracking pace. Ridpath is obviously an intelligent character who has been seconded to the coroners office from the major incident team. It gives good insight into the process of crime investigation and the judicial system. It is a bit scary to think that there are still stereotypical policemen out there, scoffing pies! A good read .

D I Ridpath is a detective trying to get his life back, as he has been suffering from cancer and is currently in remissions and is also separated from his wife and daughter. While travelling to see his daughter he witnesses an accident, where a desperate unclothed young man runs out on the motorway, Ridpath does manage to stop but as he follows the man's eyes he sees a hooded figure aiming a gun at this man ready to shoot, this poor chap has no alternative but to flee further on to the motorway and is run over by an artic lorry. Ridpath at this stage goes into cop mode and declares it a crime scene which put him at loggerheads this the traffic police.  As Ridpath. gives his version at what happened nobody else on the motorway saw this hooded figure, so is Ridpath on powerful drugs because that's what his higher up's think, and because he is returning back to work he is demoted to the coroners office but on D I's salary, and because no one is taking that much notice of him he decides to investigate further himself which puts him at loggerheads with the MIT team. Then there is a missing person who turns up dead, and could be the start of a turf war, can Ridpath get to the bottom of this, Ridpath is a tenacious cop and his brilliant mind always working overtime.  This is a good read held your interest till the end.  Have not read the other book from this author but this can certainly be read as a standalone. Good strong characters well written will go back and read the first M J Lee

I really enjoyed this book. This is the second book in the series and it was great to meet back up with the characters from the first book. DI Ridpath is such a likeable character and I look forward to reading more in this series. M J Lee has an easy writing style and the story flows effortlessly and really draws you in. Love that this series is set in my hometown Manchester.

A dark crime drama. Detective Inspector Ridpath, on secondment to the Coroners Office, is driving along the M60 when a naked man runs in front of his car, before being hit by a lorry.  Ridpath is the only witness to see the armed man at the side of the road and the incident is put down to an accident. Until, that is, the victim is identified as the son of the leader of one of Manchester’s big gangs. When another body is found, also the son of a different gang leader, Manchester police realise that they need to act fast to prevent a major gang war.

This was an interesting enough story, without setting the world alight. Ridpath was a suitably troubled character, recovering from cancer, being estranged from his wife and daughter, and struggling with his superiors at work, but at times the action felt forced.

A shorter book than some I have read and it helped me while away a couple of hours without taxing my brain too much.

A slightly slow start, but it then hit the ground running and did not stop. A twisted thriller with a totally unexpected turn at the end that totally surprised me.

A great read.

This is the second novel in the DI Ridpath series and is as good as the first one.

Ridpath has had more than his fair share of worries, with his recovery from Cancer behind him.  He still has monthly check-ups, but the toll to his marriage has also suffered.  His wife Polly and daughter Evie are living with his mother in law nearby.  The job and then his illness has caused a great deal of stress for them all.

En Route to meeting up with Penny and Evie, Ridpath is caught up in heavy traffic.  Just ahead of him. A man appears in the road dressed in blue boxer shorts and sporting an enormous tattoo of wings on his chest.  As he manages to stop, he spots a man with a gun on the hard shoulder.

Ringing the incident into the police, he is not taken very seriously.  The man in front of his car is hit by a lorry but no-one saw the man with the gun.  The fact that he shuts the M60 during rush hour and on a match night does not go down well with his superiors.

Attached to the Coroners Office since his treatment, his hands are tied to a certain extent.  This does not stop him from doing his own thing.

The death of the man on the motorway is quickly followed by two more deaths.  They are all murders that are related but his bosses can't or won't see it.  The four criminal gangs operating in Manchester come to the forefront.

Murder between the gangs ramps up a notch but it doesn't make sense.

Eventually, the powers that be, start to take him seriously.  He is on to something.

I feel sorry for him as he has to cope with his illness, the break up of his marriage, the politics that goes hand in hand with the police force.  What a nice man he is.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased.  My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.

Wasn't sure for the first few pages if i was going to like this book but then I got hooked. It had good strong characters and was well constructed. Ridpath the main police character had been seconded to the coroner's office as he had been undergoing treatment for cancer but having been witness to a fatality which he was sure was not an accident he was drawn into investigating it. He is also living apart from his wife and daughter and missing them terribly so he is trying to adjust his work/family balance. i did not guess the ending at all. I would read other books by this author.

I stayed up last night until 4.37am to finish this book. So spoiler alert - this book may interfere with your sleep patterns.  But it’s worth it! A well plotted, well written book - as you would expect from this great writer. I particularly liked the characterisation and the empathy shown to the main protagonists.  This is like a real life story which makes this book so readable and leaves me wanting more.  Hurry up and write more please  - I’m off to bed now to catch up on my lost sleep

I was looking forward to reading this following my enjoyment of the debut DI Ridpath novel. I was not disappointed; this was another well plotted and paced crime novel. 

D.I. Ridpath is in remission from his cancer and is still on secondment to the Coroner's office; the bulk of the story is told via his eyes and perspective. We do have chapters from the killer's point of view and more focus on DCI Charlie Whitworth's voice in this novel and it all works well.
The plot spirals from a violent death on the motorway, witnessed by Ridpath and evolves into gang wars, as the police attempt to discover the truth behind the events. Ridpath finds himself apart from the rest of the teams, but his persistence in his beliefs finally pays off in a tense but satisfying conclusion.
This is an intelligently written, believable crime novel, and despite having a strong idea of the killer quite early on, I enjoyed this read very much.

Overall, a gripping, expertly paced crime novel with enough twists to challenge and thoroughly absorb the reader.

Many thanks for the review copy Canelo & Netgalley.  








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This is also an underscore in the narrative as he investigates the latest incident, one is found himself dramatically engaged in. This one begins with an horrific accident on the motorway which draws Ridpath

This is the second book in the series featuring DI Thomas Ridpath.  After reviewing the first book in this series and giving it five stars, I eagerly awaited the publication of the second book and it certainly didn’t disappoint!  DI Ridpath is in remission from cancer. He is estranged from his wife and daughter who he misses terribly and he is still working in the Coroner’s office but longing to return to the Major Incident Team where he worked before his illness.  The book opens with Ridpath driving along the motorway, when a man only wearing boxer shorts, runs in front of his car.  He misses him but a lorry hits and kills him.  Ridpath thinks he saw a man with a gun chasing the victim so closes the motorway.  But there is no evidence of this man.  Everyone thinks he imagined it and that it is an open and shut case of a man off his head on drugs committing suicide.  Ridpath is convinced he saw the gunman, so against his bosses instructions begins to investigate.  He starts to find links between the accident and other deaths and murders which have taken place, especially when the man killed on the motorway was the son of one of the major gang leaders in Manchester. Is this the beginning of a crime gang war or is something else going on?  
This is a fast paced crime book, told mainly from Ridpath’s perspective with odd chapters from the killer’s point of view.  Ridpath has one of his most challeng8ng cases yet, with so many twists and turns and puzzles to solve.  A fantastic read, can’t wait for book number three.  A highly recommended series!
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The angle on this police procedural is really original and in this outing, the second in the series, the characters have really come into their own. I really enjoyed this one and would be eagerly awaiting the next installment. I particularly like the admittedly fictional inclusion of the coroner's chief process.

Having recently read and enjoyed the first book in the DI Ridpath series (Where The Truth Lies), I am really looking forward to this novel. 

It begins with a scary prologue. Then it becomes clear that it picks up where the previous book left off. 

The characters of Tim Ridpath and other members of the police team and his family are developed further in this second novel. However, I am sure that this book is worth reading on its own merit; if you can, it is worth reading the books in order. 

I like the quality of the writing, with amusing throwaway comments which enhance the dialogue between the well crafted characters. 

From early on in the book I found that I was dragged into the plot, which was disturbing but fast moving. There are plenty of twists and turns as the story moves towards a dramatic conclusion. 

I am left with the question: Will DI Tom Ridpath feature again in a future novel?

Once again I give my thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for a copy in exchange for this review.

Another outing for DI Redpath.  He is such a likeable hero because he is up against so much.  Recovering from cancer he has been shunted into the Coroner's Office away from the Major Incident Team.  His wife has left him but he never gives up.  He's great at making connections and asking the right questions.  He's awful at looking after himself and delivering on family commitments.  In this story gang warfare is about to break out in Manchester following two murders.  Its fast paced and unputdownable - a fantastic read..

First of all let me say, what a treat to read a story set in my home city of Manchester. I recognised all the places,even lived in some,went for a day out in others.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I partcularly liked the back story of the detective fighting a terrible disease and how it affected him and his family.
A good solid story that flowed easily with no flaws with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming.
I will definately read this author again